


Breaking Routine

by goddessofcheese



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, the dumb bakery au that no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 22:13:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11587218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddessofcheese/pseuds/goddessofcheese
Summary: Lena has a crush on one of the customers at her bakery, but she hasn't gotten her name yet, much less admitted her feelings. At least until an accident gives her the chance she needs to finally speak up.Part of my Ovenwatch bakery/coffeeshop au series





	Breaking Routine

Eight o’clock in the morning. Two fresh croissants, one with butter, one with honey. One latte, not too hot, with luxurious amounts of caramel added in. A seat by the window to catch the morning sun.

Lena had never been much for routine. She liked changes, surprises, a moderate level of chaos. It kept her on her feet and having fun, for the most part. Since coming to work at the bakery, though, there was one pattern in particular that she’d come to depend on in the same way that her customers depended on their morning coffee or doughnuts. A pattern that she had never quite expected to show up, but now it made her mornings worth waking up for.

So she waited. With only five minutes to the hour, she darted behind the counter to make sure everything was ready and perfect. The espresso machine was ready to go, along with a cup of milk sitting in the fridge below. The croissants were still warm from the oven. Everything was ready. Now all she needed was--

_ Ding, ding _ .

Lena swung to face the chimes. “Heya! Welcome to—“

Mei stood in the doorway, waving back to her cheerfully.

Lena sagged. “Oh. Hey there.”

If Mei noticed her friend’s disappointment at all, she didn’t show it as she peeled off a damp jacket and hung it up to dry on the coat rack by the door. “Good morning! Sorry if I’m late. It started snowing while I drove here.”

Lena looked out to the window. Sure enough, the morning skies had turned a light grey color; snow was coming down, already covering everything outside in a light coat of the stuff. There was nobody visible on the street or sidewalk. At least, not the person she was looking for. She slumped back down like melting cream and groaned. “Yeah…”

Mei paused, her eyes taking note now of the increasingly droopy posture until Lena was at risk of slipping off the counter and backwards onto the floor. Hanging up her coat on the wall, she walked behind the counter and gingerly rested her hand on Lena’s shoulder. “Are…are you okay?”

“I’m suffering something horrible but otherwise yeah I’m fine,” was the sullen reply, slightly muffled as it was by the effect of Lena’s face being smooshed into the dark wooden surface.

Mei opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the electronic dinging of the door bells once again. Both Lena and Mei looked up as a third woman now stood in the entrance. Red-haired, freckled, and not very well dressed for the sudden change in weather, she didn’t seem to have noticed them right away but was instead busy stamping snow off of her shoes.

Lena’s reaction was immediate. She jumped back to her feet,  tried and failed to smooth her hair, and brushed out the wrinkles in her t-shirt all in a matter of seconds, with her focus entirely on the woman entering the store, her smile wide and eyes bright.

“Welcome! How are you?”

With a bright smile, the stranger approached the counter and set down her purse. “A little soggy, actually. That flurry came out of nowhere.” She looked down at the croissants in the window display. The pastries were noticeably closer to the register than they normally were. “Oh! Can I have two please? With some butter and honey on the side?”

“You got it!” Lena’s voice was chipper and fast. Granted, it always was, but it was hard to miss the extra energy to her tone now as she fetched the fresh croissants, nestling the little plastic cups of each spread in between them along with a pearly-handled butter knife. Steam was still curling off of the crunchy pastries.

The customer beamed at her. “Thank you. Can I also get—“

“One latte, not too hot, with an extra shot of caramel!” Before the other woman could finish her words, Lena had turned to the espresso machine to her left. The milk was quickly frothed, the espresso made fresh and steaming, and the sweet brown syrup mixed in with care, all added to a round green cup on its own matching small plate. The result was picture perfect and mouthwatering.

The customer’s smile was ear to ear as she took it into her hands and took in a deep inhale of the curling steam. “Ah, you’re a miracle worker.”

Lena’s blush was also ear to ear. “Th-thanks!”

And that was all she said as the other woman paid for her meal and went to go sit alone at the small table in front of the window where the hazy winter sun could shine directly on her. As she watched the snow come down while sipping her drink, Lena was propped up on her elbows gazing at her. Mei watched the scene with a stifled grin until she couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed Lena by her apron strings and dragged her towards the back of the bakery.

“Gack!”

“Shh!” instructed Mei. Once they were in the dark security of the pantry, door slightly creaked to keep an ear out for customers, she turned to her with a wide grin.  “So… who is that lady?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Lena’s face was like an open book, her face turning red right up to the tips of her ears, mouth squeezed tightly shut as if to keep it from giving anything else away. Mei, for her part, looked unconvinced.

“You don’t set out the day’s first croissants for Jesse. And I’ve never seen you wait for the Shimada brothers to come in.”

“Well. It’s just—“ Lena’s mouth open and shut, waiting for the explanation that her brain wasn’t quite providing. “You know.”

“I think I do. So what’s her name?”

“Uh.”  The taller girl combed her fingers through her hair sheepishly. “I dunno.”

Mei sighed a little. “Lena… You’ve  _ never  _ been shy before! Why not ask her now?”

“Just feels weird, y’know, asking a girl stuff like that while she’s eating!”

“It is, a little, but what other chance will you get? Or what if she’s waiting for you to say something because  _ she’s _ too shy?” Mei took her by the shoulders and gave her a comforting little pat. “The worst thing she can say is no!”

Lena grimaced a bit at her last phrase, but after a moment of consideration, straightened her posture a little and puffed up her chest. “You’re right! I’m Lena Oxton! I can do anything! And I can definitely ask for a girl’s number!”

“You can do it!”

“I’m gonna do it!” Lena marched out like a cadet heading to service, straightening out her apron as she turned the corner. Mei was right! She had to follow her gut! She would just walk over, get her number, and everything would be fantast—

The seat by the window was empty.

Lena stopped in the center of the room, staring at the plate with its crumbs and the drained mug stacked neatly on top. A pair of dollar bills was nestled discreetly under the napkin, the only sign left from the mystery woman’s visit. Darting over to the door, Lena threw it open, squinting against the sudden blast of cold air and snow. Maybe she had only just left? Maybe she was still nearby? But no.  The sidewalks on both sides were empty.

“Oh,” said Lena.

“Oh,” echoed Mei from just behind her in the doorway. “How did we not hear the bells?”

“I dunno.” Walking back in, Lena stuffed the tip into her pocket and started cleaning up the dishes. “Wasn’t paying attention, I guess.”

“Aw, Lena!” Mei was quick to take her by the arm, her voice in as comforting a tone as she could muster. “She likes coming here. You’ll see her again, I’m sure of… it…”

Her voice drifted off as she bent down to pick something up off the floor. A bright green wallet was on the floor, right under the chair in which the stranger had been sitting. “Actually… I am  _ very _ sure of it.”

 

* * *

 

 

The bakery closed late. By the time it did, a full moon  was rising into the cloudy night sky, casting long on the snow-filled world below. The chairs had been stacked up on top of the tables, leaving a mostly bare dining room lit by a single yellow light overhead. The large machinery in the back no longer thrummed, creating a notable absence of sound that was almost physical. The shop didn’t carry the warm, opening feeling as it always did during the day but the atmosphere felt peaceful in its silence all the same.

As she had started the day alone, now Lena ended it alone as she swept down the cafe. She didn’t usually stay here so long; her shift had ended hours ago. Technically she wasn’t even on the clock right then -- which if Jack or Gabe had found out about, they both would’ve been furious about. She’d never felt so tired in her life, with the broom scraping along the ground sluggishly.

But she just had to take a chance.

Knock, knock.

Looking up, all her energy returned in a rush that left her nerves on fire as soon as she saw the face peering through the door’s glass. Red hair, freckled, this time bundled up in a coat and fluffy hat with a long scarf. From the other side of the glass, she waved and smiled sheepishly before pointing down to the door handle.

Lena jumped for the door and yanked it open, letting her inside. “Hey there!”

The woman smiled, seemingly taken aback a little at the energy of the greeting. “H-hello! Um I am so sorry, I know it’s late but I left—“

From her back pocket, Lena produced the wallet. “This?”

“Yes!” The redhead sagged with relief and took it from Lena’s outstretched hand. “I thought I was going to have to replace all my cards and ID, what a mess that would’ve been.” She looked up again with a smile that made Lena’s heart flutter. “Thank you. Really.”

Lena’s blush reached up into her hair and down her shirt. “N-no problem. At all.”

The silence dragged for a few moments as the two stared at each other, one waiting patiently while turning the wallet over in circles in her hands, the other twisting her fingers at her sides as stomach did flips inside her.

Lena Oxton couldn’t understand all this. She was never scared. Never. She was former military, she drove fast and played hard, she took risks when her gut told her to and believed that life was worth having a laugh about. But this one girl with her smile left her feeling like suddenly she couldn’t move or even breathe. All at once she was disarmed, vulnerable, yet excited and hopeful. All she had to do was open her mouth and speak. What was the worst that could happen?

With a chill in her stomach, she considered the worst that _could_ happen: that this person could walk out of the bakery and never come back.

“Well.” The other woman tucked some hair behind an ear, smiling pleasantly as she did. “Thank you again. Have a good night.”

As Lena stood there as still and stiff as a log, she turned to walk away, her fingers already brushing the  curve of the doorknob.

“W-wait!”

The woman’s hand slowly pulled back from the door as she turned to face Lena again. Her expression was unreadable, controlled. “Yes?”

“I…” Lena swallowed hard and finally let it out. “I saved some of the croissants, the last ones me made for the day, so they oughta be fresh still. The steamer for lattes and stuff is still on too. If you’d… maybe… want to…“

“It’s a little late for lattes, don’t you think?”

“Oh. Yeah. You’re right.” Lena could feel her body sinking into her shoes, all at once heavy and sore when the hope for this moment had kept her buoyed through the long day. “Sorry. It was stupid to ask. I—“ Her words were cut off when the other woman held up a hand for silence. Much to Lena’s surprise, a blush crept onto her freckled face.

“But it’s… not too late for hot chocolate. As long as there’s enough to share.” She was smiling again, not the polite smile a customer uses to be cordial to their server, but something smaller, more private, and genuine.

Lena’s own smile went wide, so big it hurt, but she couldn’t feel the pain for the joy behind it. “I think that’d be great.”

 

* * *

 

 

Ten o’clock in the evening. Two slightly crusty croissants reheated in a toaster oven, one with butter, one with honey. A pair of cups with cheap hot chocolate, and two seats by the window to see the moonlight glimmering on the snow as Lena got the courage to ask for Emily’s number.

 


End file.
